Mid-year budget review will address the concerns of Ghanaians – Deputy Finance Minster

Deputy Minister of Finance Abena Osei Asare has hinted that most concerns of Ghanaians will be addressed in the 2019 mid-year budget review come Monday, 29th July 2019.

The Finance Minister is expected to present the Mid-Year Review of the budget statement and Economic policy of the government of Ghana for the 2019 financial year.

Deputy Finance Minister, speaking to Ghanaweb ahead of the budget reading Monday said that the budget statement will address pertinent issues and concerns of Ghanaians with regards to the economy and expenditure.

She added Ghanaians will be satisfied with the midyear budget statement.

“...we are going to talk about how far we have come with the 2019 budget that parliament approved for us. In this mid-year we will try to address the pertinent issues that are bothering Ghanaians. We will look at so many things and we would tell you how far we have fared with the revenue and also in terms of our expenditure and what we have done. We will also share with you any other thing that we believe will help give Ghanaians hope that this government is really working and is on course to deliver on everything that this government said we were going to deliver in the 2019 budget.”

However the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has cautioned government not to increase taxes even though government is not reaching their revenue generation target but rather find innovative ways to generate revenue in the country.

According to him, businessmen are already finding it difficult to pay current taxes hence an increment will rather worsen their situation.

“My expectation is that, yes they have not been able to meet their numbers in revenue generation but they should be careful about further increasing tax because, believe me talk to ordinary business people they are really finding it difficult. Further increasing taxes is going to exacerbate their situation so I want to caution the finance minister if truly he is thinking about increasing tax please he should revise it.”